Disney and OpenAI have made a surprise deal – what happens next?Thu, 11 Dec 2025 17:25:40 +0000 In a stunning reversal, Disney has changed tack with regard to safeguarding its copyrighted characters from incorporation into AI tools – perhaps a sign that no one can stem the tide of AI | |
Killer whales and dolphins are ‘being friends’ to hunt salmon togetherThu, 11 Dec 2025 16:00:31 +0000 White-sided dolphins seem to help killer whales "scout" and catch Chinook salmon near Vancouver Island, then eat the leftovers | |
How 3 imaginary physics demons tore up the laws of natureWed, 10 Dec 2025 18:00:06 +0000 Three thought experiments involving “demons” have haunted physics for centuries. What should we make of them today? | |
Roman occupation of Britain damaged the population’s healthThu, 11 Dec 2025 00:01:51 +0000 Urban populations in southern Britain experienced a decline in health that lasted for generations after the Romans arrived | |
This year we were drowning in a sea of slick, nonsensical AI slopWed, 10 Dec 2025 18:00:44 +0000 This Changes Everything columnist Annalee Newitz on how AI-generated content went mainstream in 2025 | |
How I learned to keep my brain in better repair this yearWed, 10 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Neuroscience columnist Helen Thomson on how she discovered a host of evidence-based ways to keep her brain healthier in 2026 | |
The potential of GLP-1 drugs to transform medicine exploded in 2025Wed, 10 Dec 2025 18:00:09 +0000 We knew that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy did more than just help control type 2 diabetes and aid weight loss, but the extent of that potential really came to light in 2025 | |
New antibiotic could stave off drug-resistant gonorrhoeaThu, 11 Dec 2025 23:30:11 +0000 Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the microbe responsible for gonorrhoea, is developing resistance to most antibiotics, which means we need new drugs to treat the condition. An antibiotic called zoliflodacin might be part of a solution | |
Supposedly distinct psychiatric conditions may have same root causesThu, 11 Dec 2025 11:20:41 +0000 People are often diagnosed with multiple neurodivergencies and mental health conditions, but the biggest genetic analysis so far suggests many have shared biological causes | |
Earth and solar system may have been shaped by nearby exploding starThu, 11 Dec 2025 10:00:22 +0000 A new explanation for the solar system's radioactive elements suggests Earth-like planets might be found orbiting up to 50 per cent of sun-like stars | |
Best acronym? Best use of AI? We present our end-of-year awardsWed, 10 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Feedback has spent some time sifting through 2025's key scientific achievements to come up with a range of weird and wonderful (and less wonderful) winners for our inaugural Backsies awards | |
Our pick of the 33 best science books, films, games and TV of all timeFri, 05 Dec 2025 14:52:21 +0000 Our writers and contributors have chosen their favourite ever science-y books, films, TV shows, music, video games, board games and more to see you through the festive period | |
Donald Trump and Elon Musk put science on the chopping block in 2025Wed, 10 Dec 2025 18:00:25 +0000 The Trump administration has targeted everything from public health to space missions for funding cuts, bringing an end to the longstanding US policy of scientific pursuits as a path towards progress and economic prosperity | |
We may finally know what a healthy gut microbiome looks likeWed, 10 Dec 2025 17:35:00 +0000 Our gut microbiome has a huge influence on our overall health, but we haven't been clear on the specific bacteria with good versus bad effects. Now, a study of more than 34,000 people is shedding light on what a healthy gut microbiome actually consists of | |
Inside the wild experiments physicists would do with zero limitsWed, 10 Dec 2025 16:00:27 +0000 From a particle smasher encircling the moon to an “impossible” laser, five scientists reveal the experiments they would run in a world powered purely by imagination | |
Genetic trick to make mosquitoes malaria resistant passes key testWed, 10 Dec 2025 16:00:24 +0000 The rollout of a type of genetic technology called a gene drive for tackling malaria could be edging closer after a lab study supports its success | |
Oldest evidence of fire-lighting comes from early humans in BritainWed, 10 Dec 2025 16:00:06 +0000 An excavation in Suffolk, UK, has uncovered pyrite and flint that appear to have been used by ancient humans to light fires some 400,000 years ago | |
What the evolution of tickling tells us about being humanWed, 10 Dec 2025 13:00:19 +0000 From bonobos and rats to tickling robots, research is finally cracking the secrets of why we’re ticklish, and what that reveals about our brains | |
Why we only recently discovered space is dark not brightWed, 10 Dec 2025 10:00:55 +0000 For centuries, Europeans thought that eternal daylight saturated the cosmos. The shift to a dark universe has had a profound psychological impact upon us | |
Did ancient humans start farming so they could drink more beer?Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:00:06 +0000 New evidence suggests that alcohol was a surprisingly big motivator in our monumental transition from hunting and gathering to farming – but was beer really more important to us than bread? | |
Australia's social media ban faces challenges and criticism on day oneWed, 10 Dec 2025 12:32:09 +0000 As Australian teenagers lose access to social media, observers say there are still many unknown questions about the ban, which came into force on 10 December | |
We’ve finally cracked how to make truly random numbersTue, 09 Dec 2025 10:00:48 +0000 From machine learning to voting, the workings of the world demand randomisation, but true sources of randomness are surprisingly hard to find. Now quantum mechanics has supplied the answer | |
Dinosaurs like Diplodocus may have been as colourful as birdsWed, 10 Dec 2025 00:01:10 +0000 Skin fossils from a sauropod dinosaur examined with an electron microscope feature structures called melanosomes, which are similar to those that create the bright colours in birds' feathers | |
2025 was chock full of exciting discoveries in human evolutionTue, 09 Dec 2025 18:00:10 +0000 From an incredible series of revelations about the ancient humans called Denisovans to surprising discoveries about tool making, this year has given us a clearer picture of how and why humans evolved to be so different from other primates | |
The surprising longevity lessons from the world’s oldest animalTue, 09 Dec 2025 16:00:47 +0000 Scientists were amazed to discover a 507-year-old clam that was already 100 in Shakespeare’s day, but why did it live so long and what can we learn from it? | |
Pompeii building site reveals how the Romans made concreteTue, 09 Dec 2025 16:00:36 +0000 Excavations of a workshop that was buried in Pompeii almost 2000 years ago have given archaeologists unique insights into Roman construction techniques and the longevity of the empire’s concrete | |
Timing cancer drug delivery around our body clock may boost survivalTue, 09 Dec 2025 14:38:59 +0000 The time of day that cancer drugs are administered could make a big difference to a patient's outcomes, and would be a relatively simple intervention to roll out | |
The audacious quest to light up the sky with artificial aurorasTue, 09 Dec 2025 13:00:14 +0000 How a Finnish physicist named Karl Lemström once became obsessed with recreating the aurora borealis from scratch – and may have ended up creating something even more intriguing | |
2025 is the second-hottest year since records beganTue, 09 Dec 2025 03:00:10 +0000 Mean temperatures this year approached 1.5°C above the preindustrial average, making it the second hottest year after 2024 | |
Odd elements in supernova blast might have implications for alien lifeMon, 08 Dec 2025 19:00:49 +0000 Some of the elements used by living systems are far more abundant in Cassiopeia A than we thought, hinting that some parts of our galaxy might be more suitable for life than others | |
How worried should you be about spending too much time on your phone?Mon, 08 Dec 2025 17:00:26 +0000 Screen time has been linked to all sorts of problems, from depression and obesity to poor sleep. But how worried should you really be? Jacob Aron sifts through the evidence | |
What the family drama of interbreeding polar and grizzly bears revealsMon, 08 Dec 2025 16:00:21 +0000 A hybrid grolar bear saga is unfolding in the Arctic, and the tale of this strange family has much to tell us about nature on our changing planet | |
Extreme heat hampers children’s early learningMon, 08 Dec 2025 15:00:43 +0000 Children regularly exposed to temperatures over 30°C (86°F) have lower scores on literacy and numeracy tests at age 3 to 4, according to UNICEF data from six countries | |
Too busy to meditate? Microdosing mindfulness has big health benefitsMon, 08 Dec 2025 13:00:03 +0000 Small bursts of mindfulness practices lasting a minute or less can have unexpected benefits for those with busy lives - here’s how | |
Are we living in a simulation? This experiment could tell usMon, 08 Dec 2025 10:00:13 +0000 The idea that we might be living in a simulated reality has worried us for centuries. Now physicists have found some tantalising clues – and devised an experiment that might reveal the truth | |
Human challenge trials have never been more popularWed, 03 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000 The ethics of clinical trials that deliberately infect people with a disease aren't clear-cut – but there's a strong case for doing more of them | |
How deliberately giving people illnesses is supercharging medicineWed, 03 Dec 2025 16:00:41 +0000 The covid-19 pandemic opened the door to once-controversial human challenge trials. Now, volunteers are willingly catching norovirus and influenza to reveal how our immune systems really fight back | |
Why do I feel lonely even when I'm surrounded by a festive crowd?Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Feeling alienated in others' company, or "existential isolation", can happen to us all. David Robson digs into the psychological literature for a solution for one reader | |
Black hole entropy hints at a surprising truth about our universeTue, 02 Dec 2025 16:00:29 +0000 Two clashing ideas about disorder inside black holes now point to the same strange conclusions, and it could reshape the foundations of how we think about space and time | |
Quantum experiment settles a century-old row between Einstein and BohrFri, 05 Dec 2025 14:00:25 +0000 Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr had an ongoing rivalry about the true nature of quantum mechanics, and came up with a thought experiment that could settle the matter. Now, that experiment has finally been performed for real | |
A sinister, deadly brain protein could reveal the origins of all lifeMon, 01 Dec 2025 16:00:16 +0000 We have long struggled to determine how the first living organisms on Earth came together. Now, surprising evidence hints that poorly understood prions may have been the vital missing ingredient | |
Comet 3I/ATLAS from beyond solar system carries key molecule for lifeFri, 05 Dec 2025 17:00:43 +0000 Astronomers have discovered that 3I/ATLAS is carrying methanol and other chemicals that were probably important in the origin of life | |
Tattooing may trigger localised damage to the immune systemFri, 05 Dec 2025 16:00:11 +0000 There is relatively little information on the long-term health effects of tattooing, but a couple of recent studies suggest the art form might trigger prolonged inflammation | |
The two standout science-fiction films of 2025Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000 From Mickey 17 and M3gan 2.0 to a musical about the end of the world, this was an eclectic year for science-fiction films. Film columnist Simon Ings shares his two breakout hits | |
Hunter-gatherer groups are much less egalitarian than they seemFri, 05 Dec 2025 15:00:25 +0000 There is a widespread belief that altruism and equality drive social behaviour in traditional hunter-gatherer societies, but the truth is more surprising and complex | |
How Australian teens are planning to get around their social media banFri, 05 Dec 2025 12:58:15 +0000 From legal challenges to lesser-known apps, the teenagers of Australia are already preparing to push back against a law that will see under 16s banned from social media | |
A new understanding of causality could fix quantum theory’s fatal flawMon, 24 Nov 2025 16:00:39 +0000 Quantum theory fails to explain how the reality we experience emerges from the world of particles. A new take on quantum cause and effect could bridge the gap | |
What we’re learning about consciousness from master meditators’ brainsWed, 05 Nov 2025 16:00:12 +0000 Neuroscientist Matthew Sacchet is revealing how mastering meditation can not only enable transcendental states of bliss, but also reshape how we experience pain and emotion | |
Incredible close-up of spider silk wins science photo prizeThu, 04 Dec 2025 00:01:41 +0000 Duelling prairie chickens, a snake-mimicking moth and a once-a-year sunrise at the South Pole feature in the best images from the Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition 2025 | |
Images reveal the astonishing complexity of the microscopic worldThu, 04 Dec 2025 10:39:30 +0000 From a dragonfly to marine organisms, photographer Michael Benson zoomed in with powerful scanning electron microscopes to take these extraordinary shots for his book Nanocosmos | |
The four best science documentaries of 2025Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000 From animal rivals to Jane Goodall's last thoughts, enjoy 2025's best science documentaries, says our TV columnist Bethan Ackerley | |
AI can influence voters' minds. What does that mean for democracy?Thu, 04 Dec 2025 19:00:40 +0000 Voters change their opinions after interacting with an AI chatbot – but, encouragingly, it seems that AIs rely on facts to influence people | |
Why is AI making computers and games consoles more expensive?Thu, 04 Dec 2025 18:00:10 +0000 The AI industry consumes vast amounts of energy, fresh water and investor cash. Now it also needs memory chips - the same ones used in laptops, smartphones and games consoles | |
Volcano eruption may have led to the Black Death coming to EuropeThu, 04 Dec 2025 16:00:04 +0000 Climate data and historical accounts suggest that crop failures in the 1340s prompted Italian officials to import grain from eastern Europe, and this may have carried in the plague bacterium | |
Comets were on fire this year – for better or worseWed, 10 Dec 2025 18:00:31 +0000 Field Notes From Space-Time columnist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein on how comets grabbed the headlines in 2025 | |
Cold-water swimming has benefits for the brain as well as the bodyWed, 26 Nov 2025 18:28:21 +0000 There is a growing body of research on the physical benefits of going for a dip in chilly water, but now researchers are starting to find that cold-water swimming may also be reshaping our brains for the better in lasting ways | |
Stop treating your pet like a fur baby – you're damaging its healthWed, 03 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Pet owners' increasing tendency to see their animals as children rather than dogs or cats can have dire consequences. Owners, and veterinarians, should be wary, warns Eddie Clutton | |
Where did I put it? Loss of vital crypto key voids electionWed, 03 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Feedback is entertained by the commotion at the International Association for Cryptologic Research's recent elections, where results could not be decrypted after an "honest but unfortunate human mistake" | |
The six best science-fiction shows of 2025Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000 What were the year's top sci-fi shows? Andor and Severance are still up there, but our TV columnist Bethan Ackerley also has some unexpected tips to share | |
Could the super-rich be cloning themselves? And why would they?Thu, 04 Dec 2025 06:30:02 +0000 Nearly three decades since the remarkable cloning of Dolly the sheep, it has all gone quiet on the human cloning front. Michael Le Page wonders what's happening behind the scenes | |
Tigers seem to be bouncing back in remote Sumatran jungleThu, 04 Dec 2025 05:00:27 +0000 Camera traps in an area of the Leuser rainforest patrolled by NGOs spotted 17 tigers in 2023 and 18 Sumatran tigers in 2024, while surveys elsewhere on the island averaged seven | |
Experimental vaccine prevents dangerous allergic attack for a yearWed, 03 Dec 2025 19:00:37 +0000 By blocking a molecule that pushes the immune system into overdrive, a vaccine protects mice from life-threatening anaphylaxis | |
Dogs may make us more caring and sociable by changing our microbiomeWed, 03 Dec 2025 16:00:45 +0000 We know that pets influence our microbiome, but scientists have now found that having a dog seems to change this ecosystem in a way that could boost our well-being | |
Planned satellite launches could ruin Hubble Space Telescope imagesWed, 03 Dec 2025 16:00:27 +0000 More than half a million satellites are planned to launch by the end of the 2030s, and simulations suggest they will have a severe impact on space-based astronomy | |
Forming moon may have taken three big impacts early in Earth’s historyWed, 03 Dec 2025 14:00:50 +0000 Conventionally, the moon is thought to have formed during one big impact, but a three-impact model might make more sense | |
Why quantum mechanics says the past isn’t realTue, 02 Dec 2025 18:00:10 +0000 The famous double-slit experiment brings into question the very nature of matter. Its cousin, the quantum eraser experiment, makes us question the very existence of time – and how much we can manipulate it | |
Ancient human artefacts found near caves in Arabian desertTue, 02 Dec 2025 19:21:01 +0000 Today, the deserts of the Arabian peninsula are inhospitable – but 100,000 years ago, the area was full of animals and ancient humans | |
Can viral relationship tests really tell you about your relationship?Tue, 02 Dec 2025 13:00:54 +0000 Is there any science to viral relationship tests like the bird test, the orange peel theory and the moon phase test? Emily Impett, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of Toronto, has the answers | |
Asteroid Bennu carries all the ingredients for life as we know itTue, 02 Dec 2025 10:00:12 +0000 We knew from prior analyses that a distant asteroid sampled in 2020 carried all but one of the molecules needed to kick-start life, and researchers have just found the missing ingredient: sugar | |
What would Russia's inability to launch crewed missions mean for ISS?Mon, 01 Dec 2025 20:00:58 +0000 Russia's only launch site capable of sending humans to orbit has suffered serious damage that may take two years to fix. Will NASA keep supporting the ISS without Russian involvement, or is this the end for the space station? | |
Coral reefs have fuelled severe global warming in Earth's pastMon, 01 Dec 2025 20:00:18 +0000 Over the past 250 million years, periods when coral reef growth has peaked have coincided with big rises in sea temperatures | |
We now have a greater understanding of how exercise slows cancerMon, 01 Dec 2025 20:00:01 +0000 Tumour growth is reduced by exercise due to a shift in the body’s metabolism that means muscle cells outcompete cancer cells in the race to get sugar to grow | |
Man unexpectedly cured of HIV after stem cell transplantMon, 01 Dec 2025 16:00:14 +0000 A handful of people with HIV have been cured after receiving HIV-resistant stem cells – but a man who received non-resistant stem cells is also now HIV-free | |
Cats can overcome fear of water to benefit from aquatic therapyMon, 01 Dec 2025 12:05:28 +0000 Vets have developed a training protocol to help cats benefit from water-based rehabilitation therapies, in spite of their natural aversion to water | |
The 12 best science fiction books of 2025Wed, 26 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 From drowned worlds to virtual utopias via deep space, wild ideas abound in Emily H. Wilson's picks for her favourite sci-fi reads of the year | |
The best new science fiction books of December 2025Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:00:45 +0000 From a new collection of shorter fiction by Brandon Sanderson to Simon Stålenhag’s new work, via a Stranger Things novel, December’s new sci-fi features some compelling and intriguing offerings | |
Was a little-known culture in Bronze Age Turkey a major power?Mon, 01 Dec 2025 10:00:56 +0000 Archaeologists have gathered evidence from hundreds of Bronze Age sites in western Turkey that could be remnants of a civilisation that has been largely overlooked | |
COP30: The UN climate summits are no longer fit for purposeWed, 26 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 The final COP30 agreement fails to even mention fossil fuels. Countries wanting to tackle climate change must not wait for the next meeting to take action | |
The quick and easy ways to stay fit this holiday seasonWed, 26 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 A chaotic schedule over the holiday season often derails Grace Wade’s workout routine. But this year she has a plan… | |
A revolutionary way to map our bodies is helping cure deadly diseasesWed, 26 Nov 2025 16:00:29 +0000 New tools that create ultra-precise maps of our tissues are transforming our ability to diagnose and cure once-fatal illnesses | |
The long-overlooked insects that could save our cropsTue, 25 Nov 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Hoverflies, often mistaken for bees and wasps, pollinate three quarters of our crops. Now we’re discovering we can train them to be even more efficient | |
Ancient humans took two routes to Australia 60,000 years agoFri, 28 Nov 2025 19:00:39 +0000 Scientists have long tried to uncover the perilous journey humans took to reach the ancient land mass that now makes up Australia. Now, a genetic study has edged us closer to understanding how and when they achieved this | |
Why Google’s custom AI chips are shaking up the tech industryFri, 28 Nov 2025 16:00:11 +0000 Google is reportedly in talks to sell its tensor processing units – a type of computer chip specially designed for AI – to other tech companies, a move that could unsettle the dominant chip-maker Nvidia | |
Upheavals to the oral microbiome in pregnancy may be behind tooth lossFri, 28 Nov 2025 13:00:45 +0000 Dental problems often arise or get worse during pregnancy, and a new study hints that rapid changes to the oral microbiome at this time could be at least partly to blame | |
Origin story of domestic cats rewritten by genetic analysisThu, 27 Nov 2025 19:00:11 +0000 Domestic cats originated in North Africa and spread to Europe in the past 2000 years, according to DNA evidence, while in China a different species of cat lived alongside people much earlier | |
Africa’s forests are now emitting more CO2 than they absorbFri, 28 Nov 2025 10:00:41 +0000 Logging and mining are destroying swathes of the Congo rainforest, with the result that African forests went from being a carbon sink to a carbon source in 2010 to 2017 | |
Plastic can be programmed to have a lifespan of days, months or yearsFri, 28 Nov 2025 10:00:10 +0000 Inspired by natural polymers like DNA, chemists have devised a way to engineer plastic so it breaks down when it is no longer needed, rather than polluting the environment | |
Our verdict on sci-fi novel Every Version of You: We (mostly) loved itFri, 28 Nov 2025 09:47:19 +0000 New Scientist Book Club members share their thoughts on our November read, Grace Chan's Every Version of You | |
Read an extract from The Player of Games by Iain M. BanksFri, 28 Nov 2025 09:40:54 +0000 The New Scientist Book Club is currently reading Iain M. Banks's classic sci-fi novel The Player of Games. In this extract, we meet protagonist Gurgeh for the first time | |
Why sci-fi novelist Iain M. Banks was an ‘astounding’ world-builderFri, 28 Nov 2025 09:35:56 +0000 The New Scientist Book Club is currently reading the late Iain M. Banks’s Culture novel The Player of Games. Fellow science fiction author Bethany Jacobs reveals how his work inspired her | |
'Horrific and beautiful' whale rescue image wins photography prizeTue, 25 Nov 2025 12:00:24 +0000 See some of the winning entries for this year's Oceania Photo Contest, including Miesa Grobbelaar's shot of a whale, which took the top prize | |
Supermassive dark matter stars may be lurking in the early universeFri, 28 Nov 2025 06:00:50 +0000 Stars powered by dark matter instead of nuclear fusion could solve several mysteries of the early universe, and we may have spotted the first hints that they are real | |
Physicists have worked out a universal law for how objects shatterThu, 27 Nov 2025 18:00:36 +0000 Whether it is a cube of sugar or a chunk of a mineral, a mathematical analysis can identify how many fragments of each size any brittle object will break into | |
Emergency response needed to prevent climate breakdown, warn expertsThu, 27 Nov 2025 17:39:43 +0000 Scientists sounded the alarm on the dire consequences of continued inaction at a briefing in London, warning that we could be heading for "unprecedented societal and ecological collapse" | |
Warming and droughts led to collapse of the Indus Valley CivilisationThu, 27 Nov 2025 16:00:27 +0000 Hotter temperatures and a series of droughts in what is now Pakistan and India fragmented one of the world’s major early civilisations, providing a "warning shot" for today | |
Deadly fungus makes sick frogs jump far, possibly to find matesThu, 27 Nov 2025 15:00:26 +0000 Chytrid fungus is a scourge to global amphibian populations, but before it kills some frogs, it can produce symptoms that may help the infected animals find mates and spread the fungus further | |
Why dark matter is still one of the biggest open problems in scienceWed, 26 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 We can't see dark matter directly, so studying it pushes the boundaries of our creativity as scientists. How exciting, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein | |
Why memory manipulation could be one of humanity's healthiest ideasWed, 26 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 It might sound like dystopian science fiction, but discovering how to reshape memories responsibly is helping us to heal the brain from within, says Steve Ramirez | |
The 13 best popular science books of 2025Wed, 26 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Women's hidden extra work, positive tipping points and new thinking on autism – there's much to chew on in this year's best reads, says Liz Else | |
Monthly injection could replace daily steroid pills for severe asthmaWed, 26 Nov 2025 23:30:33 +0000 Daily steroid pills are often necessary for severe cases of asthma, but they raise the risk of several serious conditions. Now, scientists have shown that a monthly antibody injection can eliminate the need for the pills | |